Sweep transfer apparatus for a descending stack of cellulosic pads or the like



Feb- 4. 1969 R. o. ANDERSON 3,425,534 PPARATUS FOR A DESCENDING STACK SWEEP TRANSFER A CELLULOSIC PADS OR THE LIKE 1964 Sheet Original Filed April 21,

96... 8 85. flea n Cumin H manna a ANDERSON Feb. 4. 1969 R. o. ANDERSON 3,425,534

SWEEP TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR A DESCENDING STACK 0F cBLLuLosIc mus on was LIKE Original Filed April 21, 1964 Sheet 2 of 4 I I 1 j I I I -Siitif: "13 3y I I 74o 5: 25:51: f) -4 Feb. 4. 1969 R. o. ANDERSON 3,425,534

' SWEEP TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR A DESCENDING STACK OF CELLULOSIC PADS OR THE LIKE Original Filed April 21, 1964 Sheet 01'4" wV UM $3 @360 ev no B Feb. 4. '1969 R. 0. ANDERSON 3,425,534 SWEEP TRANSFER APPAR ATUS FOR A DESCENDING STACK OF CELLULOSIC PADS OR THE LIKE Original Filed April 21. 1964 Sheet f of 4 United States Patent Office SWEEP TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR A DESCEND- ING STACK OF 'CELLULOSIC PADS OR LIKE Richard D. Anderson, Neenah, Wis, assiguoi' to Kimberly- Clark Corporation,- Neenah; Wis, a corporation of Delaware Original a plication Apr-. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 361,455, now Patent 0. 3,329,252,.dated July 4, 1967. Divided and this application Dec. 13, 1966, Ser. No.. 620,572, Us. cl. 198-23 7 5 Claims Int. Cl. 865g 57/03, 47/24 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sweep mechanism is provided to move a stack of accumulated pads, such as sanitaf g pads, oil of a descendirlg stack supporting flight or elevator. There is a pair of vertically spaced apart endlcsschains each trained around two idler sprockets and a power sprocket arrangedi-n triangular fashion with the idler sprockets positioned in 2'0 line at the end of the base leg of the triangle and the power sprocket at the vertex of the triangular arrangement. A pair of spaced apart parallel end plates with spacer posts therebetween serves to support parallel spaced apart shafts on which the sprocket-s are mounted. The whole assembled sweep is positioned at an acute angle to thehorizontal with the two in line' idler sprockets adjacent a descending elevator which is carrying the" stack of accumulated pads to be moved or swept off the elevator during its descent. The two parallel chains havesupported therebetween a pivot post on which isn'ioun-ted a retractable pusher. This pusher has controls which project it behinda stack of pads and as it moved on a downward incline with respect to the horizontal it gradually pushes a stack of pads off of the descending elevator or stack supporting flight. There is a trailing arm rigid with the pivot post for the pusher and another operating arm extending rigid from the pivot post in a generally opposite but forward position with respect to the pusher. The pivot post has a spiral spring attachment 40 arrangement which pivots the pusher to a generally extended and pushing .position. There is a first track parallel to the first run of the. chain between the-idler sprockets and in this. track aflcam'roller rides that is on the end of the trailing arm so that the pusher is maintained in an extended pushing attitude. v

There are two more tracks which are parallel to the receding run of the chain that is. the second run and one of these receives a roller on the otheroperating arm and causes the arm to pivot the post and the pusher to 59 a retracted position. The trailing arm roller moves into the, third track and against a yieldable spring barrier that causes the pivot post'to rotate the pusher to an extended and ready pushing position. The third run of the chain carries the extended pusher back for another pushing operation. v

This application i's a division'of Ser. No. 361,455filed Apr. 21, 1964, and issued as Patent No. 3,329,252 on 60 July-4,1967.

This invention is directed to improvements in sweep mechanism to remove a stack of pads from a descending vertical accumulator. A

Elongated tapered sanitary pads with their end tabs folded over as manufactured byav-tapered pad machine are delivered in line, end to end, with their-wide ends.

7 to wide ends, and narrow ends to narrow endsfi These tapered pads are transferred-at an angle from their in line. delivery to beaccumulated in groups in side by side position s'oxthat'theend pads in each. group 3,425,534 Patented Feb. 4, 1969 have their elongated sides generally parallel to each other v with their ends staggered a little'but in approximate alignment. These groups are accumulated in stacks and the stacks may be accumulated with one stack above another stack. The aecumulated side by side stacks are pushed as an accumulated group of stacks into an open ended,

carton.

It is an object of the invention to provide a sweep mechanism to remove a stack of pads from a descending vertical accumulator.

Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the=present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that t-he detailed description and specific I example is given by way of illustration only and, while indicating the preferred embodiment, is not given by way of limitation, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention ,will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Fora more complete understanding of the invention reference is had to the following drawings, the description and the claims that follow.

FIG. 1 is a schematic layout of a tapered pad making machine and accumulator of the tapered pads which includes tlm sweep;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tapered pad with the formed end tabs extended;

' FIG; 2A is a perspective view of the tapered padwith end tabs folded over ready to be accumulated and packaged;

FIG. 3 he rear elevational view of 'the sweepthat moves pads from-second to third accumulator; FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the sweep in FIG. 3;

FIG. Sis a bottom plan viewof the sweep along line SwSinFIGA; I

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the sweep as viewed at the right-hand end of FIG. 3 along line 6-6 on an enlarged scale; and

FIG.v 7 is a vector diagram of the action of second accumulator and the sweep to move a stack of pads from second accumulator to thirdv accumulator.

Throughout the description like reference numbers refer to similar parts. i FIG.- 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the sanitary pad making machine and angle transfer mechanism of completed pads and outlineof the accumulator mechanism, the sweep apparatus of which is the subject of this application. An outline of the making of the tapered pad is briefly made for background. It is the subject of a separate application of applicant, Ser. No. 362,893,

filed Apr. 27, 1964, and issued as Patent 3,344.483 on Oct. 3, 11967. The wadding is made up'of laminations andwrap at! and intermittently fed through an intermittent iced conveyor 2 which has associated therewith a corner cutter 3. for the-pads tobe formed. The intermittent feed: .2 feeds the wad'ding which has the proper corner cuts made therein to a pair of-slitters at station 4, each of whichcutsat an angle to make the tapered pads. The pads specifically are in the shape of an isosceles trapezohedron as shown in FIG. 24. A continuous running conveyor'S transports the pads from the slittcr in equal. spaced relation in a general parallel attitude t each other to the end of the continuousconveyorfi. A t-tansverso -pad feed conveyor 6 pulls voif each pad Iindividually and transfers it in equal spaced end to end relation to a displacement mechanism 7. This displacement .mechanism 7 is necessary to properly space the pads in line with their wider ends closer together and their na tflwer ends further apart. The sanitary pads are worp hy the user with the narrower end which 'has the longer tab positioned to the back while the wider end is at the front with the shorter tab is positioned to the front. This displacement mechanism at station 7 transfers the spaced pads to a wrap and mask applying and folding mechanism 8 where the tapered pads are contained in the tubular web with a uniform cross section equal to the larger end of the pad. After folding the wrap and mask the pads pass with wrap and mask thereon .to a former 9 for forming up the loose wrap, thence to a calendering station 10, to a tab cutter and front tab folding and tab conveying mechanism 11, thence to a rear tab folding and pad conveying mechanism l2 and finally to an angle transfer mechanism 13 where the completed pads are transferred to accumu lators 20, 21, and 23.

In FIG. 1 a main drive motor drives through a drive shaft 14 to a right angle gear box 15. From gear box 15 is driven another drive shaft 16 to a right angle reducer gear box 17 which has an output shaft 18 leading further on therefrom. This output shaft 18 through suitable drive connections to be described, drives the accumulator mechanism. Driving power for the various mechanisms is taken off from these shafts and gear boxes as necessary.

Since the pads are tapered they are accumulated by twos that are oppositely disposed as shown diagrammatically at the right-hand side of FIG. 1. However, more than two could be accumulated under the same principle.

The finished pads are transferred at an angle by the transfer mechanism 13 to a first accumulator in the zone indicated at 20 and moved-by it to a second accumulator 21 that is a vertical elevator to accumulate a stack of two abreast pads. A sweep 22 which is the subject of this invention moves the accumulated stack of pads at 21 to the right and onto a vertically movable table or elevator of a third accumulator 23. The elevator descends and the stack of pads is moved along a bed by flights on the third accumulator 23 and on into a carton that lays on its side, all as will be hereinafter described.

Sweep assembly The sweep assembly 22 is used to move an accumulated stack of pads from vertical flight or elevator 101 onto an elevator table 202, see FIG. 7. In FlG. 7 there is shown a vector diagram of the velocities of sweep and flight 101. The sweep 22 operates on an angle to the horizontal and its velocity is P and the vertical component is F which is equal to the downward speed of the flight 101. The vector F" in the horizontal direction is the resultant component of speed with which the accumulated stack of pads on. 101 is moved off onto the elevator table 202 of the third accumulator 23.

The sweep 22 has a pair ofstlaced' mounting plates sprocket 137 and leaves the cam track 145, the shaft 141 rotates counterclockwise under the influence of the biasing 146, see HG. 6,, the leading cam follower 143a enters a cam track 147 andpermits the sweep 138 to be translated with mounting shaft 141, which is pivotally mounted, as it recedes from the area of the flights 101 of the second accumulator 21.

As the cam follower [43a leaves it! cam track 147, the trailing cam follower 142a rides in a cam track 148. The cam follower 14211, as it proceeds in the cam track 148, rides against a C-shaped pivoted member 149, pivoted at 150, which is held by a spring 151 so that as the cam and 130 held apart by spacers 132. A pair of endless chains 133 ride over drive sprocket 134 on drive shaft 135. There are idler sprockets 136 and 137 'pver which the chains also travel. 'llhe run between sprockets 136 and 137 is where the sweeping takes place. A sweep plate or pusher 138 is mounted on a pair of spaced arms 140. The arms 140 are mounted on a shaft 141 pivotally attached between chains 133. Shaft 41 pivotally seats at its lower end on a castor assembly 14la'riding, on a track 141b on end plate 130. Shaft 141 has two spaced apart arms 142 and 143 rigidly, attached thereto, each having its respective cam follower 142a and 143a. The shaft 141 that is pivotally mounted at top and bottom has a coil spring 146 attached to it and to its chain to bias the shaft to rotate the sweep 138 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5. As the sweep 138 progresses to movea stack of pads, the cam 142a rides in a cam track extending for the run of chain 133 between pulleys 136 and 137 while the cam follower 1430 on arm 143 is free.

As the cam follower 142a, see FlGiS, reaches the idler follower 142a leaves its cam track 148 it returns to its original position as it follows about an arcuate cam plate 152 whose center is at the center of drive sprocket 134. The purpose of this pivoted member 149 is to insure that the cam follower 142a moves into position marked X-142a after leaving its cam track 148 so that the follower 1420 will trail behind the pivoted mounting shaft 141 in its return to re-enter cam track 145.

The drive for the sweep 22 is shown in FIG. 3. A shaft 154 supported at one end in bearing support 155 connects through a universal coupling 156 that is connected to drive a right angle gear box 157. Shaft 154 has a pulley 15 8 driven'by a belt from the first accumulator 20. An output shaft 159 on gear box 157 has a pulley over which is led a belt 161 to a drive pulley 162 on the drive shaft 135 of the sweep.

I. claim as my invention:

1. A-sweep transfer apparatus for an accumulated stack of descending pads on a stack supporting flight for transferring the stack from the elevator as it descends comprising, in combination, an endless conveyor inclined at an acute angle to the descending path of travel of the stack of pads, and the descending flight, said conveyor having a rim extending at said angle and spaced along one side of said stack and descending flight in the direction of a stack receiving table, pusher means for the stack pivotally mounted on said conveyor and means controlling the pivotal movement of said pusher to a retracted position from said stack and flight after its stack has been swept from the flight.

2. A sweep transfer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein saidfendless conveyor has a receding run following the end of said first run and a return run from the receding run to the start of the first run, said pusher means include a bracket, a pivot post rigid with the bracket pivotally mounted on said conveyor, a leading arm rigid with said pivot post and extending oppositely from said pusher and in the direction of movement of the pusher along'said run and having a cam follower thereon, a trailing arm rigid with mid pivot post and having a cam follower received in a track along said first run, a second track adjacent said receding run of the conveyor and having an situate-lead importion joining with a portion parallel-.to the receding run of the conveyor for receiving and guiding said leading cam follower, a third track at the end'of said first track having an arcuate lead in portion joining with a portion paralleling said receding run and opposite from said second track for receiving and guiding said trailing cam follower and pivot spring biasing means for engagement by the trailing cam follower in its travel in the parallel position of the third track to insure that the trailing arm remains in a position trailing the leading arm for re-entry to said first run.

3. A sweep transfer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said endless conveyor includes a pair of spaced apart endless chains each trained over spaced apart drive sprockets on a Common drive shaft and each passing over two idler sprockets, the idler sprockets being positioned with respect ,to their respective drive sprocket so as to form a triangular path for the chain trained thereover, said conveyor run extending at said angle and spaced along one side of said stack being between said idler sprockets, said pivot post extending between said chains.

- wherein said endless oonveyor includes a pair of spaced apartendless chains each trainedover spaced apart drive sprockets on a common drive shaft and each passing over two idler sprockets, the idler sprockets being positioned with respect to their respective drive sprocket so as to form a triangular path for the chain trained the'reover,

said conveyor run extending along one side of said swept area being between said idler sprockets, said pivot post extending between said chains, and a pair of spaced apart mounting plates having supporting posts therebetween and attached to said plates, said common drive shaft being supported at each end in bearings in said spaced apart mounting plates and said idler pulleys being mounted on idler' shafts supported at each end thereof, in bearings in said spaced apart mounting plates, said tnacks and .said pivot spring biasing means beingpos'itioned intermediate said mounting plates on at least some of said supporting posts. I

5. A sweep transfer apparatus comprising, in combination, an endless conveyor having a run extending along a sweep area, pusher means for sweeping the area pivotally mounted on said conveyor and means controlling the pivotal movement of said pusher to a retracted position from the swept area as said pusher is carried by said conveyor tothe end of the swept area in the direction of sweep, said endless conveyor'having a receding run following the end of said first run and a return run from the receding run to the start of the first run, said pusher means including a bracket, a pivot post rigid with the bracket pivotally mounted on said conveyor, a leading arm rigid with said pivot post and extending oppositely from said pusher and in the direction of movement of the pusher along said run and having a cam followerthereon, a trailing arm rigid with said pivot post and having a cam follower received in a track along said first run, a second I track adjacent said receding run of the conveyor and having an arcuate lead run of the conveyor for receiving and guiding said leading cam follower, a third track at the end of said first track having an arcuate lead in portion joining with a portion paralleling said receding run and opposite from said second track of receiving and guiding said trailing cam follower and pivot spring biasing means for engagement by the trailing cam follower in its travel in the parallel position of the third track to insure that the trailing arm remains in a position trailing the leading arm for re-entry to said first run.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1958 .Luginbuhl 198-40 8/1962 Bishop. l98-188 Patent No.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION 3,425 ,534 February 4 1969 Richard D. Anderson It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 6, line 15, after "lead" insert in portion joining with a portion parallel to the receding line 19, after "track" cancel "of" and insert for Signed and sealed this 13th day of January 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer 

